Take a virtual tour of Doddington Hall & Gardens

Enjoy Doddington Hall & Gardens in bloom from the safety of your own home.

You can now explore the Elizabethan hall and gardens of one of Lincolnshire’s most popular visitor destinations from the comfort and safety of your own home.

Through a series of videos and social media posts, you can now explore the gardens virtually and enjoy one of the attraction’s most popular times of year while it’s closed to visitors.

Doddington Hall & Gardens is a magnificent Elizabethan manor house surrounded by beautiful gardens and set within an expensive country estate near Lincoln. Doddington Hall was designed in 1595 by Robert Smythson, one of England’s foremost Elizabethan architects and it is a much loved and lived in family home.

The hall is presently only occupied by its owners, the Birch family: President of Historic Houses, James Birch and wife Claire Birch along with their family.

The virtual tour videos, which are recorded and narrated by the estate’s owner, Claire Birch, offer a unique view of the hall and gardens during lockdown. The videos also provide an insight into the history and heritage of the estate and allow viewers to glimpse areas which are not normally accessible to the public.

In Spring, the spectacular trees and seasonal flowers are in full bloom while birds, bees, ducks and deer thrive across the magnificent country estate.

Owner of Doddington Hall, Claire Birch said:

“We love spring at Doddington Hall & Gardens but it’s such a pity that the thousands of people who like to come and visit us are having to miss out on some of the sights and sounds which can only be enjoyed at this time of year.

“What started as some videos I took while wandering the gardens has become something of an online series and people have sent the most wonderful messages to say how much they’re enjoying them. Nature puts on a magnificent showcase here and so it’s lovely to share that with people who would normally come and visit us - as well as with people from around the world who’ve never visited before.

“The gardens are extraordinarily peaceful and tranquil and I hope that the videos help to give people a chance to unwind and escape from some of the stresses of life under lockdown.

“Hopefully, we’ll be able to welcome visitors again soon, but until then, I hope this is the next-best thing.”

Videos include virtual tours of the West Garden, Kitchen Garden, Water Garden and Nature Trail, as well as videos of some of the wildlife which is roaming freely. Videos have also been shared of the hall’s interior including The Great Hall, the splendid views from the rooftop and the Birch family’s private quarters.

Some of the comments on the videos include:

Linda_darlington: “I can’t thank you enough for this series of garden tours. Your gardens are one of my special places...and I have really missed not being able to come. Not only do I get to feel as if I’m there but I’m also seeing them through different eyes. Very special.”

Stevem962: “This is spectacular. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. Can’t wait to revisit and I’ll never look at Doddington Hall in the same way again.”

Sweetsalsa17: “You’re very kind for this rare and unique opportunity to see the hall from a different perspective it’s so wonderful & equally beautiful many thanks”

Carol.sharp from Canada: “I so enjoy your videos. Very calming and grounding. Our season is about four weeks behind so it’s especially lovely to see nature blooming.”

Hattie_and_helen: “Really enjoying the virtual tours of the garden. I find them very relaxing.”

Mandypask: “Lovin all your videos, outside is a breath of fresh air. Food for the soul. Thank you x”

Doddington Hall & Gardens is presently closed to the public as part of the nationwide lockdown. Only its award-winning Farm Shop is open for essential food shopping, as is the ‘Giant Store Lincoln’ Bike Shop, which is classed as essential retail by the government. The Bike Shop is offering an online shopping, collection and delivery service while the Farm Shop is operating a ‘chat and collect’ service which allows people to phone the shop with their order and then have it brought out to their car without coming into contact with anyone.